Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-03-04
THOSE QUEER BEDFELLOWS."

stand the position of the prohibitonists
who oppose the Crosby high license bill.
The gentleman who spoke against the
measure before the committee of the
New York legislature was Mr.. d. n.
Etearns, president of the Prohibitory
Amendment association and secretary OF
the National Temperance society. He
said 'We are opposed to the license
system, whether at high or low fee,
believing it to be sin against God and
crime against man. This is our con-
viction after more than quarter of a
century spent in the study of this great
question and fighting this great evil
But why are we opposed to this meas
lure?
I'VE do not believe it will accomplish
the object which it seeks, viz: To reduce
the sale of Intoxicating liquors, and di-
minish the fearful evils of the traffic.
In these days of the easy aduteratiOn OF
liquors, the cost of license will not
lessen the amount of poison sold, but
will rather make it more deadly. The
man who pays $1,000 for a license will be
put upon a strain to sell more liquor than
if he paid but So. He will feel that he
has right to sell all he can, and will
point to the large sum paid into the
treasury as his Justification. lie will
make his saloon more attractive; open 1t
in cleaner and better streets; and with
gilt, pictures and statuary seek to draw
in larger class of the youth and pros
porous business men, and increase that
already large class of moderate drinkers
from which drunkards are recruited.
Does any one suppose that if only one
large. highly-decorated and very attrac-
tive saloon were licensed in Middlebury,
less liquor would be sold, and less harm
done than if two smaller and less attrac-
tive ones were licensed? We believe that
these gilded rum-palaces are far more
dangerous than the low dives. The OBJ
ject of the Crosby bill is to close up the
dives and turn the business into the
palaces. We would rather see the bust
ness in the dives, where only those whose
appetites have crushed out their manli-
ness, will enter, and keep gilded tempta-
tons out of the way of the young and
the self-respectful. We should then hope
in another generation to close the who
business.
2-We are asked to join hands in a
measure which discriminates in favor of
fermented liquors, and will tend to null
tiply beer saloons which we doubt not
will promote a vast amount of unlicens-
ed whiskey selling. Any one can see the
difficulty of detecting beer seller who
puts whiskey into his beer, when wanted.
He can afford to sell his liquor cheap ;
and some who sell and drink it say that
a beer drunkard is even worse than one
who drinks whiskey. Moreover, we be-
lieve that most drunkards are so made
by commencing on fermented drinks.
3-Again, the facts do not show that
high license reduces the rum traffic. 1t
has not in Chicago and other places. In
the city of Omaha the license fee is $1,000
and there are 81 saloons to every 10000
inhabitants. In Brooklyn the fee is S75
and there are SO to every 10000 inhab-
itants; in Philadelphia 20, in New
York 76, in Baltimore 80 saloons to every
10000 population, the fees $50, $50 and
$75. In Chicago the fee is $500 with &c
saloons to the 10000; in indianapolis.
fee $500 with AZ to the 10000. We are
convinced that high license is more dan,
gerOus than low license, because more
are made drunkards by the superior at
fractions noticed, and that more liquor
will be sold for the same reason.
I've are opposed, on principle, to
license, and thus sharing in the profits OF
this traffic of death. This whole liquor
business, manufacture and sale, is the
most monstrous wrong and crime of the
ages, and ought to be branded as such
so that decent men will not engage in it
But how can this be, when men in broad
cloth, diamond pins and gold HEADED
canes walk into the commissioners Ollie,
and pay $1,000 a year into the public
treasury for the privilege of selling?
am aware that some prOhibitionists, Il,
Hon. Judge Davis, are of the opinion
that prohibition would be impractical,
in New York city, and hence favor higl
license. But others, as good, wise anC
well-informed, think that the longe
prohibition in even large cities is delayed
the more difficult it will be to enforce it
that with any kind of license the cas-,
gets worse and worse; that our onl,
hope is to make prohibition the law anC
enforce it as fast and as fully as possible
and that the day of our deliverance il
delayed by any license law.
Hence, Mr.. Editor, we have too mucl
"conscience," "self-respect," wisdom,
and consistency" to join hands will
any such measure as the Crosby bill.
We believe in prohibition as the hon
est, true, consistent, sensible and mos
8 -.